Wolf Blitzer Presses Democratic Rep. Who Met With Assad: ‘Who Do You Blame for Those Deaths?’
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer spoke with Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard––who met with Bashar al-Assad back in January––about the U.S. strikes in Syria last night.
Gabbard tweeted earlier this week that the chemical attack must be condemned, but she said that “whoever is found responsible… must be held accountable” instead of directly calling out the Assad regime. Today she slammed the airstrikes in another Twitter thread:
President Trump's missile attack on Syria is dangerous, rash and unconstitutional. https://t.co/ac57SWwI04
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) April 7, 2017
Our Constitution is written so that the American people have the right to weigh in prior to acts of war. Congress must vote.
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) April 7, 2017
Congressional approval is meant to help prevent aimless warfare without clear justification, goals and exit strategy.
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) April 7, 2017
Have we not learned from Iraq and Libya? The road to hell is paved w/ good intentions. Escalation means more dead children, more refugees.
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) April 7, 2017
US attacks on Syria won't save children, rather will strengthen al-Qaeda's attempts to overtake Syria, leading to more deaths and refugees.
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) April 7, 2017
The US should have supported a through UN investigation and international law in regard to the gas attacks in Syria.
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) April 7, 2017
Now, a proper investigation of the attacks will likely not even be possible because of Trump's reckless rush to bomb Syria.
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) April 7, 2017
Blitzer asked Gabbard who she believes was responsible for the chemical attack. Gabbard responded, “What I believe, what you believe, or others believe is irrelevant. What matters here is the evidence and the facts.”
Gabbard repeatedly argued that she’s standing against the “counter-productive regime-change war,” invoking the run-up to the Iraq war to explain why she is approaching the situation with great skepticism. She told Blitzer that members of Congress and the American people deserve to see proof of what the U.S. government is saying.
Blitzer asked her again who she blames for the deaths in the chemical attack and whether Assad bears a lot of the responsibility for those deaths. Gabbard said she’s more focused on peace and finding solutions than “finger-pointing.”
At one point, when Blitzer asked her if she conveyed a message to Assad from Trump during their meeting, Gabbard dismissed reports suggesting such as “fake news.”
Watch above, via CNN.
[image via screengrab]
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